Written Answers

Monday 5 June 2000

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of fuel was for vehicles for the ambulance service for each year since 1997.

Susan Deacon: The cost of fuel for vehicles for the ambulance service for each year since 1997 is detailed below.

  


Year 


Cost 
(£ million) 




1997-98 


£2.77 




1998-99 


£2.85 




1999-2000 


£3.21

Digital Scotland Task Force

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a progress report on the Digital Scotland Task Force.

Peter Peacock: The Digital Scotland Task Force published its report on the Internet on 22 May, and invited public comments on its recommendations. The public consultation period lasts until 30 June. The Scottish Executive will respond to the task force report as soon as possible thereafter, in the light of the results of the consultation.

  Full details of the task force report, relevant links, and arrangements for public consultation can be found on the Digital Scotland website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/.

Education

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by local education authorities on supporting children with special educational needs in mainstream primary and secondary schools in the years 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Mr Sam Galbraith: The information is not collected centrally in the form requested. Net revenue expenditure on special education, which includes special schools as well as special classes in mainstream primary and secondary schools, is given in the table below.

  Special Education Net Revenue Expenditure1,2 (£000)

  


Financial 
Year 


1995-96 


1996-97 


1997-98 


1998-993




Scotland 


160,334 


166,401 


179,933 


194,216 




  Source: As reported by councils on the statistical return LFR 1 for the financial years 1995-96, 1996-97, 1997-98, and 1998-99.

  Notes:

  1. Revenue account data are collected on an accruals basis. Excludes Loan Charges. Includes revenue contributions to capital and support service costs, apportioned notionally, pro rata to expenditure on operating costs.

  2. Net expenditure met from grants, non-domestic rates, council tax and balances.

  3. Data for 1998-99 are provisional and may be subject to change.

Enterprise

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in what ways it supports the work of Young Enterprise Scotland and what measures it will introduce to allow secondary school pupils to gain experience in business.

Henry McLeish: The Executive is highly supportive of the work of Young Enterprise Scotland in its efforts to promote enterprise in schools and support the development of "core" skills. We are particularly encouraged by the degree of private sector involvement in the organisation. Education for Work and Enterprise in schools is delivered in a variety of ways and by a wide range of bodies. The agenda includes programmes offering practical work experience for secondary school pupils, curriculum guidelines on delivering enterprise education and support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise which provides strategic direction to the agenda.

European Funding

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the evidence by the Minister for Rural Affairs to the Rural Affairs Committee on 3 December 1999 that £2.5 million of European funding was lost to the Highlands and Islands agricultural programme between 1995 to 1999 due to currency fluctuations, whether it will provide details of the funding lost due to currency fluctuations on all European programmes for each of the last five years listed by programme.

Ross Finnie: I apologise for the delay in answering this question.

  The aggregate sterling value of individual EU programmes is dependent on the euro/sterling exchange rate at the time that money is drawn down from the European Commission. These draw-downs will continue over the next two years as grants are paid out under the 1994-1999 EU programmes. The impact of currency fluctuations will not therefore be known until 2002. The £2.5 million figure quoted at the Rural Affairs Committee meeting represented an interim estimate of the effects of exchange rates on the sterling value of EU resources drawn down, at various exchange rates, and in several instalments since 1994, which have been allocated to the Highlands and Islands Agricultural Programme. This figure will be subject to change depending on exchange rates between the time that the £2.5 million was calculated and 2002.

Highlands and Islands

Maureen Macmillan (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made regarding granting consent to Highlands and Islands Enterprise to proceed with the redevelopment of the Aviemore Centre.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: Negotiations between Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the developers are at an advanced stage. An announcement will be made as soon as all outstanding matters have been concluded.

Justice

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a full and independent review of all criminal prosecutions in which fingerprint identification was provided by the staff of the Scottish Criminal Records Office, with particular reference to those cases in which identification was provided by Charles Stewart, Hugh McPherson, Fiona McBride or Anthony Joseph McKenna, fingerprint officers involved in the case of Shirley McKie, and whether it will instruct the management of the Scottish Criminal Records Office to suspend these officers until the outcome of the review is known.

Mr Jim Wallace: I refer the member to the reply I gave to question S1W-6949. A review by HMCIC which is inspecting the standards and quality within the Fingerprint Section at Scottish Criminal Record Office is ongoing. In the interests of all parties involved it would be appropriate to await the outcome of this before making any comment.

Justice

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to legislate to provide for a right of access to inland water.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive is committed to legislating to establish a right of responsible access to inland water. Our preference remains to include provisions in the forthcoming Land Reform Bill, failing which, later in the legislative programme.

Mike Tyson

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what are the policing implications and estimated costs of the Mike Tyson fight taking place at Hampden Park.

Angus MacKay: Strathclyde Police will arrange appropriate policing to ensure public safety and minimise disruption in the area surrounding the venue, as they would for any major sporting event. No estimate of costs is available at present.

Ministerial Correspondence

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will reply to my letter dated 4 May 2000 to the Deputy Minister for Communities on the subject of the debate on the Abolition of Poindings and Warrant Sales Bill.

Jackie Baillie: I replied to Mr Crawford’s letter on 25 May.

National Cultural Strategy

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive to detail the budget set aside to cover the costs of its National Cultural Strategy consultation process, including for the publication of documents and holding of meetings.

Rhona Brankin: Costs incurred to date on consultation on the National Cultural Strategy amount to £51,000.

Public Appointments

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the membership of the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission will be announced.

Susan Deacon: The Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC) is being launched today with Professor Malcolm Grant, Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge as its Chair.

  The Commission will provide the UK Government and devolved administrations with independent strategic advice on biotechnology issues. Its members have a broad range of skills and come from various backgrounds. I am pleased to announce that Professor Jeff Maxwell OBE, Director of the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute is the Scottish Executive’s directly appointed member.

  The Commission will operate in accordance with best practice for public bodies with regard to openness, transparency, accessibility, timeliness and exchange of information.

Scientists

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what is the average salary for a newly qualified scientist in Scotland and how this compares to the same in the United States.

Henry McLeish: This information is not held centrally.

Scottish Red Tape Review

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made with implementing the findings of the Scottish Red Tape Review Panel’s report Review of the Regulatory Burden: IACS and Inspections in Scotland.

Ross Finnie: I am pleased to say that significant progress has been made. I have placed a copy of the progress report in SPICe. It details the items where work has been completed, where action is currently in hand and where longer-term action is required because of the need for UK co-ordination or EC approval.